Warning: spoilers ahead for The Rings of Power episode 4Why is Elrond's father such a big deal in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and what became of the mythical figure known as Eärendil? When The Lord of the Rings introduces the majestic Elrond, Lord of Rivendell, precious little is revealed about the character's past - understandably so, since the elf is over 6000-years-old. In Amazon's The Rings of Power, Robert Aramayo portrays a significantly more youthful Elrond prior to Rivendell's foundation, and the earliest chapters of his story are still relatively fresh in the mind... for an elf, at least.
Durin a heart-to-heart with his best dwarf buddy in The Rings of Power episode 4, Elrond openly discusses his father for the first time. He mentions how Eärendil sailed to Valinor when Morgoth's grip on Middle-earth was at its tightest - an unthinkable feat for a man of his low standing. Eärendil convinced the Valar, who had thus far done nothing to quell the villain's increasing aggression, to ride forth unto Middle-earth and unleash their full power. Impressed by Eärendil's selflessness, the Valar agreed and Morgoth was duly defeated. The Rings of Power's Elrond feels an understandable pressure to honor his father's legendary reputation, but there's much more to Eärendil than just entreating the Valar to join Middle-earth's greatest battle.
Eärendil was best known as a mariner who masterfully piloted his faithful ship Vingilot across the seas around Middle-earth. Eärendil was not, however, an especially present father, leaving Elwing, Elrond and Elros behind to embark upon his voyages. As such, Eärendil wasn't around when the Sons of Fëanor attacked his home searching for Elwing's Silmaril. She cast herself into the ocean, leaving Elrond and Elros to be raised by their captor-turned-surrogate-dad, Maglor. The Rings of Power glosses over this part, but Elrond did not know his father very long. By the grace of the Vala Ulmo, Elwing was spared and whisked onto the Vingilot to be with her husband, and this is when the fateful trip to Valinor took place. Eärendil wasn't merely a messenger, however, he rode the flying Vingilot into battle during the War of Wrath, slaying Ancalagon the dragon.
Where Is Eärendil During The Second Age? Is He Dead?
As Elrond explains to Durin in The Rings of Power, Eärendil was tasked by the Valar to carry the Evening Star, but what exactly does this lofty job entail? When the War of Wrath ended, Eärendil still possessed his wife's Silmaril. He also technically defied the Valar by entering Valinor uninvited, and therefore judgment needed to be passed. Wearing the shining Silmaril on his brow, Eärendil now sails across the heavens at night, and the light he creates is known to Middle-earth's Elves as the Star of Eärendil. Elwing does not join her husband on this quest, but rather waits in a white tower off the coast of Valinor to see her husband when he flies close by. In truth, Eärendil actually has an even more important task than lighting up the darkness - The Silmarillion reveals he also guards the Door of Night where Morgoth was banished.
Eärendil technically isn't dead, then, but neither is he tethered to the mortal realm. By the Valar's will, Eärendil can't simply fly over to Middle-earth for a chat with his sons, which is why Elrond speaks as if he's long deceased in The Rings of Power. J.R.R. Tolkien did, however, draft a potential Eärendil comeback. Earlier versions of The Silmarillion included a prophecy called the Dagor Dagorath, which foretold Morgoth's return and a battle even bigger than the War of Wrath. Since this would've been an "all hands on deck" end-times scenario, Eärendil would return from the skies to partake in the fight. Unfortunately for Elrond, circumstances aren't quite that bad in The Rings of Power, which makes a father-son reunion unlikely.
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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power continues Thursday/Friday on Prime Video.